The state’s labor board has filed a complaint against the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, saying the district has bargained in bad faith with the teachers union by failing to cough up documents pertaining to the budget, according to a statement released Wednesday by the union.

The complaint came in the form of an Oct. 4 letter to the district from an attorney with the Public Employment Relations Board alleging that the district has failed to respond to the union’s requests for information on matters ranging from district expenses on iPads to manager pay to stipends for teachers performing extracurricular duties.

“It’s really about their quote-unquote deficit-spending,” said Shawn Chen, president of the Manhattan Beach teachers union, adding that the district has been claiming it is “poverty-stricken.” “We have been telling our members that the district has been duplicitous, and less than honest about their budget. ... I feel that (PERB) ruled unequivocally in our favor.”

The complaint, which is a response to the union’s filing this past spring of an unfair labor practice charge, comes a year after another contentious round of pay talks ended in September 2012 with teachers getting a 3 percent raise. The two sides have reopened negotiations on salary and benefits and will meet to discuss those matters on Monday.

District officials downplayed the letter, saying it amounted more to a request for information than a ruling against them.

“It’s premature to argue that the district has been found in violation of anything — it’s like saying you’re guilty before you’ve had an opportunity to defend yourself,” said Rick Bagley, deputy superintendent of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. “There’s been no meeting with PERB, no hearing, no evidence exchange or anything like that. … This is their attorney saying it looks like there might be a situation here worth investigating.”

Still, the letter does say the district is required by law to file an answer within 20 calendar days. It also says the two sides must meet for a settlement conference.

Among the documents the union has been trying to obtain are the district’s adopted budget for the past three years (including all the detail pages), copies of all agreements made with law firms and copies of all contracts and invoices related to the district’s extensive iPad program.

The letter from Mary Weiss, senior regional attorney for PERB, states that the district “failed and refused to meet in good faith” because it “failed/refused to respond to” the union’s requests.

“They have a right to complain,” he said. “Our belief is that these things get worked out in a session where we’re discussing face to face, and having an opportunity to talk to each other, rather than declaring some kind of victory.”

Manhattan Beach teachers maintain that they are in the lowest quadrant when it comes to teacher pay in Los Angeles County.